Three callout team members spent last weekend in ice, mud and water without getting their feet wet. Nigel Booth, Matthew Morris and Rasti Schweizer were all students on the regional Mountain Rescue England and Wales 4×4 driving course.

Callout team member Ged Clarke was one of the two instructors on the course having qualified as an MREW Instructor earlier in the year. The other instructor was Simon Thresher from Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team which also sent three team members to the course.

Friday evening was spent at our base learning some of the technical aspects of safe off road driving such as how to deal with “transmission wind-up” and a few of the golden rules such as “As slow as possible, as fast as necessary” and “If in doubt, bottle out”.

Armed with this new found knowledge, the students were let loose in team vehicles at Cowm Quarry 4×4 centre in Whitworth for 7 hours on Saturday under the close eye and able instruction of Ged and Simon. Failed hill climbs, steep ascents and descents, cross axle situations, deep ruts and water crossings were all practised – as was winching out a vehicle when one particularly deep rut proved a bit of a challenge!

Sunday morning gave time for some last minute practice before a written exam and practical driving test was taken by each student under the watchful eye of examiner Steve from Cumbria. We are pleased to report that all students passed with flying colours and are now much better equipped to take our Landrover Defenders off road when we need to access casualties and convey them safely in remote locations.

Special thanks go to John from Cowm Leisure who hosted us so well, giving us access to the extensive 4×4 course for the weekend for free.

Bolton MRT on Twitter

We are recruiting! Have you got what it takes to become a volunteer member of Bolton Mountain Rescue Team. Operational membership recruitment for our 2019 intake is now open.
For more information please see the attached link:-
boltonmrt.org.uk/about-us/mem…pic.twitter.com/4krIj5Yw0c

What a day! Great running everyone! Huge thanks to everyone involved in making the day a success! Special Thanks to @BoltonMRT for supporting the event too! :) results up tomo avo! pic.twitter.com/Z6vK6YaqWf

On New Year's Eve, Assistant Team Leader Mark Scott was surprised and delighted to be given a cheque donation for BMRT of £150 by his friend Sarah Horan of Horwich. Thank you, Sarah, that's very generous and much appreciated!

As 2018 draws to a close, it’s also the end of our 50th Anniversary Year. A huge thank you to everyone that has supported us over the years, especially in 2018. It’s been special year for us and we can’t thank you enough! Happy New Year and hope you all have a fantastic 2019 pic.twitter.com/e0OSv0Bid1

We're thrilled to announce that we've been selected to receive a grant for £13,118.85 from @transportgovuk for essential water rescue equipment, following a bid for funding earlier this year. More info here: m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…